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This paper presents an optimized preparation process for external ointment using the Definitive Screening Design (DSD) method. The ointment is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula developed by Professor WYH, a renowned TCM practitioner in Jiangsu Province, China, known for its proven clinical efficacy. In this study, a stepwise regression model was employed to analyze the relationship between key process factors (such as mixing speed and time) and rheological parameters. Machine learning techniques, including Monte Carlo simulation, decision tree analysis, and Gaussian process, were used for parameter optimization. Through rigorous experimentation and verification, we have successfully identified the optimal preparation process for WYH ointment. The optimized parameters included drug ratio of 24.5%, mixing time of 8 min, mixing speed of 1175 rpm, petroleum dosage of 79 g, liquid paraffin dosage of 6.7 g. The final ointment formulation was prepared using method B. This research not only contributes to the optimization of the WYH ointment preparation process but also provides valuable insights and practical guidance for designing the preparation processes of other TCM ointments. This advanced DSD method enhances the screening approach for identifying the best preparation process, thereby improving the scientific rigor and quality of TCM ointment preparation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease having complex pathogenesis, approved drugs can only alleviate symptoms of AD for a period of time. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) contains multiple active ingredients that can act on multiple targets simultaneously. In this paper, a novel algorithm based on entropy and random walk with the restart of heterogeneous network (RWRHE) is proposed for predicting active ingredients for AD and screening out the effective TCMs for AD. First, Six TCM compounds containing 20 herbs from the AD drug reviews in the CNKI (China National Knowledge Internet) are collected, their active ingredients and targets are retrieved from different databases. Then, comprehensive similarity networks of active ingredients and targets are constructed based on different aspects and entropy weight, respectively. A comprehensive heterogeneous network is constructed by integrating the known active ingredient-target association information and two comprehensive similarity networks. Subsequently, bi-random walks are applied on the heterogeneous network to predict active ingredient-target associations. AD related targets are selected as the seed nodes, a random walk is carried out on the target similarity network to predict the AD-target associations, and the associations of AD-active ingredients are inferred and scored. The effective herbs and compounds for AD are screened out based on their active ingredients' scores. The results measured by machine learning and bioinformatics show that the RWRHE algorithm achieves better prediction accuracy, the top 15 active ingredients may act as multi-target agents in the prevention and treatment of AD, Danshen, Gouteng and Chaihu are recommended as effective TCMs for AD, Yiqitongyutang is recommended as effective compound for AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate of about 18.0% among malignant tumors worldwide, and chemotherapy is the main treatment. 80% of patients receiving chemotherapy suffers from cancer-related fatigue, which is the most severe symptom, with a large effect on quality of life as well as prognosis. Oral Chinese medicine, a kind of complementary and alternative medicine, has been proved to benefit lung cancer patients. However, no studies have reviewed whether it can reduce fatigue in lung cancer patients after chemotherapy, which is the purpose of our study. Methods: Two reviewers will systematically and independently retrieve papers, select studies for inclusion, extract data, and assess risk of bias. The following nine databases will be searched: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang database, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, Chinese biomedical literature service system, PubMed, Web of Science, OVID, Scopus, and EMBASE from inception to February, 2022. Included studies will only be randomized controlled trials. Primary outcome is cancer-related fatigue. Secondary outcomes are quality of life, immunologic function, and the incidence of adverse events. We will use RoB 2 tool to assess the risk of bias and RevMan to analyze data. Risk ratios will be calculated for dichotomous data and mean differences for continuous data. Random-effect model will be used to integrate statistical effects. Meta-regression, subgroup and sensitivity analyses will be carried out. We will evaluate the strength and overall quality of evidence with four levels: very low, low, moderate, and high. Results: The review of current evidence of oral Chinese medicine on cancer-related fatigue for lung cancer patients after chemotherapy will be narratively summarized and quantitatively analyzed. Conclusion: The definitive conclusion will help physicians to determine whether oral Chinese medicine is an effective treatment for reducing fatigue in lung cancer patients after chemotherapy in clinical settings. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42021292576. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Daodi-herb is a part of Chinese culture, which has been naturally selected by traditional Chinese medicine clinical practice for many years. Sweet wormwood herb is a kind of Daodi-herb, and comes from Artemisia annua L. Artemisinin is a kind of effective antimalarial drug being extracted from A. annua. Because of artemisinin, Sweet wormwood herb earns a reputation. Based on the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (PPRC), Sweet wormwood herb can be used to resolve summerheat-heat, and prevent malaria. Besides, it also has other medical efficacies. A. annua, a medicinal plant that is widely distributed in the world contains many kinds of chemical composition. Research has shown that compatibility of artemisinin, scopoletin, arteannuin B and arteannuic acid has antimalarial effect. Compatibility of scopoletin, arteannuin B and arteannuic acid is conducive to resolving summerheat-heat. Chemical constituents in A. annua vary significantly according to geographical locations. So, distribution of A. annua may play a key role in the characteristics of efficacy and chemical constituents of Sweet wormwood herb. It is of great significance to study this relationship. Objectives: We mainly analyzed the relationship between the chemical constituents (arteannuin B, artemisinin, artemisinic acid, and scopoletin) with special efficacy in A. annua that come from different provinces in china, and analyzed the relationship between chemical constituents and spatial distribution, in order to find out the relationship between efficacy, chemical constituents and distribution. Methods: A field survey was carried out to collect A. annua plant samples. A global positioning system (GPS) was used for obtaining geographical coordinates of sampling sites. Chemical constituents in A. annua were determined by liquid chromatography tandem an atmospheric pressure ionization-electrospray mass spectrometry. Relationship between chemical constituents including proportions, correlation analysis (CoA), principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (ClA) was displayed through Excel and R software version2.3.2(R), while the one between efficacy, chemical constituents and spatial distribution was presented through ArcGIS10.0, Excel and R software. Results: According to the results of CoA, arteannuin B content presented a strong positive correlation with artemisinic acid content (p = 0), and a strong negative correlation with artemisinin content (p = 0). Scopoletin content presented a strong positive correlation with artemisinin content (p = 0), and a strong negative correlation with artemisinic acid content (p = 0). According to the results of PCA, the first two principal components accounted for 81.57% of the total accumulation contribution rate. The contribution of the first principal component is about 45.12%, manly including arteannuin B and artemisinic acid. The contribution of the second principal component is 36.45% of the total, manly including artemisinin and scopoletin. According to the ClA by using the principal component scores, 19 provinces could be divided into two groups. In terms of provinces in group one, the proportions of artemisinin are all higher than 80%. Based on the results of PCA, ClA, percentages and scatter plot analysis, chemical types are defined as "QHYS type", "INT type" and "QHS type." Conclusion: As a conclusion, this paper shows the relationship between efficacy, chemical constituents and distribution. Sweet wormwood herb with high arteannuin B and artemisinic acid content, mainly distributes in northern China. Sweet wormwood herb with high artemisinin and scopoletin content has the medical function of preventing malaria, which mainly distributes in southern China. In this paper, it is proved that Sweet wormwood Daodi herb growing in particular geographic regions, has more significant therapeutical effect and higher chemical constituents compared with other same kind of CMM. And also, it has proved the old saying in China that Sweet wormwood Daodi herb which has been used to resolve summerheat-heat and prevent malaria, which distributed in central China. But in modern time, Daodi Sweet wormwood herb mainly has been used to extract artemisinin and prevent malaria, so the Daod-region has transferred to the southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the consistency of adverse events (AEs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reported in the literature, monitoring and social media data. Methods: Using one Chinese patent medicine-Cordyceps sinensis extracts (CSE) as an example, we obtained safety data from the national monitoring system (July 2002 to February 2016), literature (up to November 2016) and social media (May 2019). For literature data, we searched the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), WanFang database, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (SinoMed), PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Social media data was from the Baidu post bar and Sina micro-blog. Two authors independently screened the literature and extracted data by PRISMA Harms checklist was followed. AEs and ADRs were coded using the World Health Organization Adverse Reaction Terminology (WHO-ART). AEs and ADRs were grouped into thirty-one organ-system classes for comparisons. Frequencies, relative frequencies and rank were used as metrics. Radar chart was used to manifest the features of the distributions and proportions. Results: 610 AEs reported in CFDA monitoring data were associated with CSE, of which 537 (88.03%) were suspected ADRs (10.49% certain). 5568 AEs were identified from 172 papers (63% RCTs, 37% other types of studies including case series, case reports, ADR monitoring reports and reviews), in which 86 (1.54%) were ADRs (1.54% certain). 15 AEs (0 certain ADR) were identified from social media. AEs, ADRs and their affected system-organ classes, looked largely similar, but different in every aspect when looking at details. Data from RCTs demonstrated the most disparity. Conclusions: In our study, the most prevalent AEs and ADRs, mainly gastro-intestinal system disorders including nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, in monitoring system were largely similar with those in literature and social media. But data from different sources varied if looked at details. Multiple data sources (the monitoring system, literature and social media) should be integrated to collect safety information of interventions. The distributions of AEs and ADRs from RCTs were least similar with the data from other sources. Our empirical proof is consistent with other similar studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is an emotional disease characterized by loss of interest and depression after a stroke. Acupuncture, one of the most critical non-drug therapies for the treatment of PSD, has significant clinical efficacy, but the mechanism is not fully understood. Previous study has shown that acupuncture can reduce the level of proinflammatory cytokines and increase the level of anti-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that regulating the dynamic balance of inflammatory cytokines may be the basis for acupuncture to improve PSD symptoms. Methods and analysis: A total of 84 patients with PSD will be recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups at a 1:1 ratio. Based on the conventional stroke treatment, the control group will receive XingnaoKaiqiao (XNKQ) acupuncture, and the experimental group will receive antidepressant acupuncture at the same time as XNKQ acupuncture. The intervention will last four weeks, and data will be collected before and after treatment. The Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17) is the primary outcome measure, and the secondary outcome measures include the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), the National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI). Serum IL-1β, IL-4, 5-HT, and BDNF will be used as laboratory indicators. The scales will be assessed at baseline, two weeks, and four weeks, and serum items will be measured at baseline and four weeks after treatment. This study will observe the clinical effect of acupuncture on PSD and the changes in serum-related inflammatory cytokines and explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture against depression from the perspective of inflammatory response. Ethics and dissemination: This study protocol was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (item number: TYLL2023[Z]004). Findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) bupleurum-ginger-licorice formula presents significant anti-cancer effects, but its active ingredients and inhibitory mechanism remain unclear. In this work, the core effective ingredient quercetin and its signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) receptor both were identified by network pharmacology. Quercetin is a low-toxicity, non-carcinogenic flavonoid with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities, which is widely distributed in edible plants. Stat3 can bind to specific DNA response elements and serves as a transcription factor to promote the translation of some invasion/migration-related target genes, considered as a potential anticancer target. Here, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation both were used to explore molecular recognition of quercetin with Stat3. The results show that quercetin impairs DNA transcription efficiency by hindering Stat3 dimerization, partially destroying DNA conformation. Specifically, when the ligand occupies the SH2 cavity of the enzyme, spatial rejection is not conductive to phosphokinase binding. It indirectly prevents the phosphorylation of Y705 and the formation of Stat3 dimer. When the inhibitor binds to the DT1005 position, it obviously shortens the distance between DNA and DBD, enhances their binding capacity, and thereby reduces the degree of freedom required for transcription. This work not only provides the binding modes between Stat3 and quercetin, but also contributes to the optimization and design of such anti-cancer inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injections are extensively utilized for the treatment of transient ischemic attack (TIA). However, it remains unclear which specific TCM injection exhibits superior efficacy. In this study, we conducted a network meta-analysis to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of various TCM injections in the treatment of TIA, with the aim of identifying the optimal treatment regimen. Design: We searched seven databases to collect information on nine TCM injections for the treatment of transient randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for the treatment of transient ischemic attacks were collected from the establishment to August 2023. The methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the RoB 2.0 evaluation tool, and reticulated Meta-analysis was performed using R software and Stata software. Results: We ultimately included 58 RCTs involving 5502 patients and comprising 9 TCM injections. In terms of improving the total effective rate, Shuxuetong injection (P-score = 0.69) was the most effective. In addition, Shuxuetong injection was most effective in lowering total cholesterol (P-score = 1.00) and triglyceride (P-score = 1.00) levels. Notably, Shuxuetong injection remained the most prominent in reducing fibrinogen (P-score = 0.91). However, among other blood hemorheology indicators, Dengzhanhuasu injection was the best regimen in reducing plasma viscosity (P-score = 1.00), whole blood viscosity (high shear rate) (P-score = 0.87), and whole blood viscosity (low shear rate) (P-score = 0.90). It was found that Yinxingyetiquwu injection (P-score = 0.72) was the most effective in reducing the incidence of cerebral infarction. In terms of safety, 22 studies reported adverse effects and descriptive analyses showed that the number of adverse effects of combination therapy was comparable to that of conventional therapy and that the safety profile was good. Conclusions: TCM injections in combination with CT may be a safe and effective intervention for patients with TIA, of which Shuxuetong injection, Dengzhanhuasu injection, and Yinxingyetiquwu injection may be more noteworthy. The quality of the literature included in the study was low, so further validation is needed with larger sample sizes, higher quality, and more rigorously designed RCTs. Systematic review registration: [PROSPERO], identifier [CRD42023443652]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have reported the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), while some ophthalmologists are concerned that TCM may be a risk factor for CSC as some chinese herbs contain hormonal ingredients. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TCM in treating patients with CSC. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies of TCM for CSC were searched up to July 10, 2023 on the following biological databases without language and publication time restrictions: PubMed, Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Wanfang, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed). Review Manager V.5.4.1 and Stata 14 software were used for data analysis. Finally, thirty-eight studies were finally included including 23 RCTs and 15 cohort studies. The meta-analysis showed that compared with the routine treatment alone, the combination of TCM can not only reduce the recurrence rate (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.21,0.40; I2 = 0%) and central retinal thickness (CRT) (MD = - 35.63, 95% CI: - 45.96,-25.30; I2 = 89%) of CSC, but improve patients' best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (SMD = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.62,1.11; I2 = 77%); additionally, it has no obvious side effects compared with routine treatment (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.39,1.34; I2 = 10%). Overall, this study shows that the use of TCM does not increase the risk of CSC recurrence; on the contrary, the combination of TCM may reduce the recurrence of CSC and improve BCVA and CRT in patients with CSC compared with conventional treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) refers to a group of clinical symptoms caused by gastric and duodenal dysfunction. Which is a chronic functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract with no cure. Zhishixiaopi decoction (ZSXP) is a type of Chinese herbal prescription that for treating FD. Although some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) report that ZSXP can significantly improve FD clinical symptoms and/or laboratory results, the trial design varies greatly among studies, making it challenging to draw a conclusion of the efficacy of ZSXP in treating FD. Design: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Setting: Mianyang Central Hospital. Objective: We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ZSXP for treating FD. Methods: We developed inclusion and exclusion criteria based on FD diagnosed criteria, interventions to treat FD, and outcomes of these interventions. Search strategies combined disease terms, symptom terms, anatomy terms and intervention terms. Literature search was conducted on eight online databases in English or Chinese, including Medline (via PubMed), Embase (via Ovid), The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China Biology Medicine (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), and Wanfang Database. Intervention: The experimental group received oral administration of ZSXP and had a complete treatment process. ZSXP needs to fully contain the key herbal ingredients, regardless of whether the dosage of each herb is consistent with the original prescription. The Control group received monotherapy or combination therapy of other Western medicine and had a complete treatment process. Outcomes: The primary outcomes appraised were Total effective rate (TER), serum levels of Motilin(MOT), Gastrin(GAS) and Somatostatin (SS), Gastric emptying rate (GER) using a Barium meal method (GER(B)) and Gastric half emptying time using an Ultrasonic method (GHET(T1/2)). The Cochrane Bias Risk Tool was used for quality critical appraisal, Review Manager (RevMan) version 5.3 was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 21 medium-quality RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. All 21 included studies were conducted and completed in Mainland China from 1998 to 2020. The treatment duration was between two weeks to two months. The meta-analysis suggests that, compared with the Western medicine treatment group, ZSXP treatment was more effective to improving the TER in FD [Odds ratio, OR = 3.54, 95%CI:(2.49, 5.05), Z = 6.99, P<0.00001] without significant increase in adverse events. However, no statistical significance was found between the groups in serum MOT levels [Standard mean difference, SMD = 1.05, 95%CI:(-0.42, 2.53), Z = 1.04, P = 0.16], serum GAS levels [SMD = -0.16, 95%CI:(-1.20, 0.88), Z = 0.31, P = 0.76], serum SS levels [SMD = -0.04, 95%CI:(-1.97, 1.89), Z = 0.04, P = 0.97], GER(B) [SMD = 1.09, 95%CI:(-0.81, 3.00), Z = 1.12, P = 0.26]or GHET(T1/2) [Mean difference, MD = -2.18, 95%CI:(-5.55, 1.19), Z = 1.27, P = 0.20]. Conclusions: The meta-analysis suggests that Zhishixiaopi treatment is a relatively effective and safe traditional Chinese medicine prescription and could be used for functional dyspepsia treatment. Considering the limitations of this study, the conclusion needs to be further confirmed by high-quality, multi-center, and large-sample randomized controlled trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both the size of the older population and the use of complementary and alternative medicine are increasing worldwide. This study evaluated the long-term trend in utilization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and associated factors among older people in Taiwan. Methods: Using the database of population-based interview surveys, we evaluated the one-month prevalence of TCM use among 13,945 older people aged over 65 years from 2001–2017. The sociodemographic status and medical comorbidities of older people who did and did not use TCM were compared by calculating adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the multiple logistic regressions. Results: The one-month prevalence of TCM use increased from 5.5% in 2001 to 9.1% in 2017 among older people in Taiwan. Overall, 7.3% of older people had used TCM within the previous month. People with a history of heart disease (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.24–2.12), use of folk therapy (OR 3.16, 95% CI 2.00–4.99), and purchase of non-prescribed Chinese herbal medicine (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.48–2.91) were more likely to use TCM than the comparison group. However, age ≥80 years (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.31–0.72) and previous hospitalization (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.41–0.85) were associated with the reduced use of TCM. Conclusion: From 2001–2017, the use of TCM increased in the older population in Taiwan. The use of folk medicine and purchase of non-prescribed Chinese herbal medicine were significant predictors for the use of TCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been garnering ever-increasing worldwide attention as the herbal extracts and formulas prove to have potency against disease. Fuzhengjiedu San (FZJDS), has been extensively used to treat viral diseases in pigs, but its bioactive components and therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrative approach of network pharmacology and experimental study to elucidate the mechanisms underlying FZJDS's action in treating porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). We constructed PPI network and screened the core targets according to their degree of value. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were also carried out to identify relevant pathways. Lastly, qRT-PCR, flow cytometry and western blotting were used to determine the effects of FZJDS on core gene expression in PRRSV-infected monkey kidney (MARC-145) cells to further expand the results of network pharmacological analysis. Results: Network pharmacology data revealed that quercetin, kaempferol, and luteolin were the main active compounds of FZJDS. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway was deemed the cellular target as it has been shown to participate most in PRRSV replication and other PRRSV-related functions. Analysis by qRT-PCR and western blotting demonstrated that FZJDS significantly reduced the expression of P65, JNK, TLR4, N protein, Bax and IĸBa in MARC-145 cells, and increased the expression of Bcl-2, consistent with network pharmacology results. This study provides that FZJDS has significant antiviral activity through its effects on the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Conclusion: We conclude that FZJDS is a promising candidate herbal formulation for treating PRRSV and deserves further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have confirmed that osteoporosis has been considered as one of the complications of diabetes, and the health hazards to patients are more obvious. This study is mainly based on the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database (TNHID). Through the analysis of TNHID, it is shown that the combined treatment of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medicine in patients of diabetes with osteoporosis (T2DOP) with lower related risks. Methods: According to the study design, 3131 patients selected from TNHID who received TCM treatment were matched by 1-fold propensity score according to gender, age, and inclusion date as the control group. Cox proportional hazards analyzes were performed to compare fracture surgery, hospitalization, and all-cause mortality during a mean follow-up from 2000 to 2015. Results: A total of 1055/1469/715 subjects (16.85%/23.46%/11.42%) had fracture surgery/inpatient/all-cause mortality of which 433/624/318 (13.83%/19.93%/10.16%) were in the TCM group) and 622/845/397 (19.87%/26.99%/12.68%) in the control group. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that subjects in the TCM group had lower rates of fracture surgery, inpatient and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR = 0.467; 95% CI = 0.225–0.680, P<0.001; adjusted HR = 0.556; 95% CI = 0.330–0.751, P<0.001; adjusted HR = 0.704; 95% CI = 0.476–0.923, P = 0.012). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative risk of fracture surgery, inpatient and all-cause mortality was significantly different between the case and control groups (all log-rank p<0.001). Conclusion: This study provides longitudinal evidence through a cohort study of the value of integrated TCM for T2DOP. More research is needed to fully understand the clinical significance of these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The goal of this investigation was to identify the main compounds and the pharmacological mechanism of the traditional Chinese medicine formulation, Gong Ying San (GYS), by infrared spectral absorption characteristics, metabolomics, network pharmacology, and molecular-docking analysis for mastitis. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities were determined in vitro. Methods: The chemical constituents of GYS were detected by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography Q-extractive mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QE-MS). Related compounds were screened from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP, http://tcmspw.com/tcmsp.php) and the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM, http://www.tcmip.cn/ETCM/index.php/Home/) databases; genes associated with mastitis were identified in DisGENT. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was generated using STRING. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment screening was conducted using the R module. Molecular-docking analyses were performed with the AutoDockTools V1.5.6. Results: Fifty-four possible compounds in GYS with forty likely targets were found. The compound-target-network analysis showed that five of the ingredients, quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, beta-sitosterol, and stigmasterol, had degree values >41.6, and the genes TNF, IL-6, IL-1β, ICAM1, CXCL8, CRP, IFNG, TP53, IL-2, and TGFB1 were core targets in the network. Enrichment analysis revealed that pathways associated with cancer, lipids, atherosclerosis, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways may be critical in the pharmacology network. Molecular-docking data supported the hypothesis that quercetin and luteolin interacted well with TNF-α and IL-6. Conclusions: An integrative investigation based on a bioinformatics-network topology provided new insights into the synergistic, multicomponent mechanisms of GYS's anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities. It revealed novel possibilities for developing new combination medications for reducing mastitis and its complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fatigue is a common symptom after viral infection. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is thought to be a potential effective intervention in relieving fatigue. Purpose: To assess the effectiveness and safety of CHM for the treatment of post-viral fatigue. Study design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: The protocol of this systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022380356). Trials reported changes of fatigue symptom, which compared CHM to no treatment, placebo or drugs, were included. Six electronic databases and three clinical trial registration platforms were searched from inception to November 2023. Literature screening, data extraction, and risk bias assessment were independently carried out by two reviewers. Quality of the included trials was evaluated using Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the certainty of the evidence was evaluated using GRADE. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4, mean difference (MD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used for estimate effect of continuous data. Heterogeneity among trials was assessed through I2 value. Results: Overall, nineteen studies with 1921 patients were included. Results of individual trial or meta-analysis showed that CHM was better than no treatment (MD = -0.80 scores, 95%CI -1.43 to -0.17 scores, P = 0.01, 60 participants, 1 trial), placebo (MD = -1.90 scores, 95%CI -2.38 to -1.42 scores, P<0.00001, 184 participants, 1 trial), placebo on basis of rehabilitation therapy (MD = -14.90 scores, 95%CI -24.53 to -5.27 scores, P = 0.02, 118 participants, 1 trial) or drugs (MD = -0.38 scores, 95%CI -0.48 to -0.27 scores, I2 = 0%, P<0.00001, 498 participants, 4 trials) on relieving fatigue symptoms assessing by Traditional Chinese Medicine fatigue scores. Trials compared CHM plus drugs to drugs alone also showed better effect of combination therapy (average MD = -0.56 scores). In addition, CHM may improve the percentage of CD4 T lymphocytes and reduce the level of serum IL-6 (MD = -14.64 scores, 95%CI 18.36 to -10.91 scores, I2 = 0%, P<0.00001, 146 participants, 2 trials). Conclusion: Current systematic review found that the participation of CHM can improve the symptoms of post-viral fatigue and some immune indicators. However, the safety of CHM remains unknown and large sample, high quality multicenter RCTs are still needed in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tongue diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides clinically important, objective evidence from direct observation of specific features that assist with diagnosis. However, the current interpretation of tongue features requires a significant amount of manpower and time. TCM physicians may have different interpretations of features displayed by the same tongue. An automated interpretation system that interprets tongue features would expedite the interpretation process and yield more consistent results. Materials and methods: This study applied deep learning visualization to tongue diagnosis. After collecting tongue images and corresponding interpretation reports by TCM physicians in a single teaching hospital, various tongue features such as fissures, tooth marks, and different types of coatings were annotated manually with rectangles. These annotated data and images were used to train a deep learning object detection model. Upon completion of training, the position of each tongue feature was dynamically marked. Results: A large high-quality manually annotated tongue feature dataset was constructed and analyzed. A detection model was trained with average precision (AP) 47.67%, 58.94%, 71.25% and 59.78% for fissures, tooth marks, thick and yellow coatings, respectively. At over 40 frames per second on a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, the model was capable of detecting tongue features from any viewpoint in real time. Conclusions/Significance: This study constructed a tongue feature dataset and trained a deep learning object detection model to locate tongue features in real time. The model provided interpretability and intuitiveness that are often lacking in general neural network models and implies good feasibility for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese caterpillar mushroom, Ophiocordyceps sinensis (O. sinensis), is a rarely medicinal fungus in traditional chinese herbal medicine due to its unique medicinal values, and the expression stability of reference genes is essential to normalize its gene expression analysis. In this study, BestKeeper, NormFinder and geNorm, three authoritative statistical arithmetics, were applied to evaluate the expression stability of sixteen candidate reference genes (CRGs) in O. sinensis under different stress [low temperature (4°C), light treatment (300 lx), NaCl (3.8%)] and different development stages (mycelia, primordia and fruit bodies) and formation of morphologic mycelium (aeriasubstrate, hyphae knot mycelium). The paired variation values indicated that two genes could be enough to accurate standardization exposed to different conditions of O.sinensis. Among these sixteen CRGs, 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and beta-Tubulin (β-TUB) showed the topmost expression stability in O.sinensis exposed to all conditions, while glutathione hydrolase proenzym (GGT) and Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) showed the least expression stability. The optimal reference gene in different conditions was various. β-TUB and Ubiquitin (UBQ) were identified as the two most stable genes in different primordia developmental stage, while phosphoglucomutase (PGM) with elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1-α) and 18S rRNA with UBQ were the most stably expressed for differentially morphologic mycelium stages and different stresses, respectively. These results will contribute to more accurate evaluation of the gene relative expression levels in O.sinensis under different conditions using the optimal reference gene in real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Styrax, the balsam refined from the trunk of Liquidambar orientalis Mill. has a variety of applications in the perfumery and medical industry, especially for use in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the resources of styrax are in shortage due to being endangered of this plant. Grafting can improve the adaptability of plants to unfavorable environmental conditions. We tried to graft the L. orientalis Mill. on L. formosana Hance which was widely distributed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces of China in an attempt to obtain styrax from grafted L. orientalis Mill. (grafted styrax, SG). Whether SG can become an alternative application of commercially available styrax (SC) need be further investigated. The components of SG were analyzed by GC-MS, and the results showed that the chromatograms of SG, SC, and styrax standard (SS) were consistent. The ration of 12 major chemical components based peak area in SG, SC, and SS were 93.95%, 94.24%, and 95.86% respectively. The assessment of toxicity, antithrombotic activity, and myocardial infarction protection of SG and SC was evaluated by using the zebrafish model, the results showed that SG and SC have the similar toxicological properties as evidenced by acute toxicity test, developmental toxicity and teratogenicity, and long-term toxicity test. Both SG and SC significantly decreased the thrombosis and increased blood flow velocity of zebrafish induced by adrenaline hydrochloride, inhibited myocardial apoptosis, myocardial infarction and myocardial inflammation in zebrafish induced by isoproterenol hydrochloride. Moreover, SG had an obvious improvement effect on cardiac output, while SC has no effect. Collectively, SG is similar to SC in chemical composition, toxicological properties, antithrombotic activity, and myocardial infarction protection effects, and may be used as a substitute for styrax to reduce the collection for wild L. orientalis Mill. and increase the available styrax resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese herbal medicine image recognition and retrieval have great potential of practical applications. Several previous studies have focused on the recognition with hand-crafted image features, but there are two limitations in them. Firstly, most of these hand-crafted features are low-level image representation, which is easily affected by noise and background. Secondly, the medicine images are very clean without any backgrounds, which makes it difficult to use in practical applications. Therefore, designing high-level image representation for recognition and retrieval in real world medicine images is facing a great challenge. Inspired by the recent progress of deep learning in computer vision, we realize that deep learning methods may provide robust medicine image representation. In this paper, we propose to use the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for Chinese herbal medicine image recognition and retrieval. For the recognition problem, we use the softmax loss to optimize the recognition network; then for the retrieval problem, we fine-tune the recognition network by adding a triplet loss to search for the most similar medicine images. To evaluate our method, we construct a public database of herbal medicine images with cluttered backgrounds, which has in total 5523 images with 95 popular Chinese medicine categories. Experimental results show that our method can achieve the average recognition precision of 71% and the average retrieval precision of 53% over all the 95 medicine categories, which are quite promising given the fact that the real world images have multiple pieces of occluded herbal and cluttered backgrounds. Besides, our proposed method achieves the state-of-the-art performance by improving previous studies with a large margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chinese proprietary herbal medicines (CPHMs) have long history in China for the treatment of common cold, and lots of them have been listed in the ‘China national essential drug list’ by the Chinese Ministry of Health. The aim of this review is to provide a well-round clinical evidence assessment on the potential benefits and harms of CPHMs for common cold based on a systematic literature search to justify their clinical use and recommendation. Methods: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, China Important Conference Papers Database, China Dissertation Database, and online clinical trial registry websites from their inception to 31 March 2013 for clinical studies of CPHMs listed in the ‘China national essential drug list’ for common cold. There was no restriction on study design. Results: A total of 33 CPHMs were listed in ‘China national essential drug list 2012’ for the treatment of common cold but only 7 had supportive clinical evidences. A total of 6 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and 7 case series (CSs) were included; no other study design was identified. All studies were conducted in China and published in Chinese between 1995 and 2012. All included studies had poor study design and methodological quality, and were graded as very low quality. Conclusions: The use of CPHMs for common cold is not supported by robust evidence. Further rigorous well designed placebo-controlled, randomized trials are needed to substantiate the clinical claims made for CPHMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic in China in early 2020, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has continued to increase, and the Chinese government's policy of "static management" in the first round of the epidemic may affect the health behavior adjustment of Chinese residents. Using survey data on the TCM health literacy of 4016 residents in China (Gansu Province), a causal inference approach was used to explore the impact of the emergence of confirmed cases of COVID-19 on residents' TCM health literacy. We found that the emergence of confirmed cases can increase by 3.5%-7.0% in residents' TCM health literacy. Among them, the TCM health literacy of uneducated residents has not improved significantly, and the residents with secondary education have increased significantly by 8%. For those with higher education, the number of residents increased significantly by 6%. At the same time, the emergence of confirmed cases will increase the residents' practical TCM health literacy and decrease theoretical TCM health literacy. Through heterogeneity analysis, we explored the impact mechanism of confirmed cases on residents' TCM health literacy. We believe that the emergence of confirmed cases will make residents more inclined to participate in TCM-free clinics, theme activities, and other ways to acquire TCM knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal adenoma (CRA) is a significant precancerous lesion of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC). CRA is likely to recur after polypectomy, increasing the risk of CRC. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used to reduce CRA recurrence. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of oral CHM in reducing CRA recurrence compared to other treatments (placebo, routine care, no treatment, and conventional medicine). Methods: We will search for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) from nine major biomedical databases in English and Chinese from their inception to July 2023. The RCTs that investigate the effects of oral CHM in reducing CRA recurrence compared to other treatments will be involved. We will exclude trials using CHM extract or external application of CHM, cohort study and cross-section study. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool version 2 will be used to assess the quality of included studies. Data will be analysed using Review Manager software 5.4 and STATA. The random effect model will be used. The heterogeneity of intervention effects will be tested by Chi2 (Cochrane Q) and I2 statistics. Funnel plots will assess publication bias if more than ten studies are included. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis will be conducted when possible. Discussion: This review will discuss the effectiveness and safety of oral CHM in reducing CRA recurrence. It will show the critical information for clinicians in the decision-making process and countries to develop clinical guidelines on CRA management. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42023324197. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the curative effect of external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine on constipation in patients with chronic renal failure and to provide scientific theoretical basis for clinical practice. Method: We searched the English database of PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and the Web of Science and Chinese database of CNKI, Wan fang database, VIP Database and China Biomedical Literature Database up to December 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving constipation in patients with CRF that compared external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine and routine treatment to routine treatment were eligible for the analysis. A meta-analysis of the outcome indicators including total efficiency, weekly defecation times, defecation time, defecation difficulty score, patient-assessment of constipation quality of life and adverse events of treatment were performed. The analysis was performed by using Review Manager version 5.3. Result: A total of 23 studies were included, with 1764 patients. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the control group, the test group could significantly increase weekly defecation times(MD = 0.94, 95%CI(0.70, 1.18), Z = 7.74, P < 0.00001), reduce defecation time(MD = -2.92, 95%CI(-3.69, -2.16), Z = 7.49, P < 0.00001), reduce defecation difficulty score(MD = -1.92, 95%CI(-2.45, -1.39), Z = 7.11, P < 0.00001), improve the quality of life in patients with constipation(MD = -7.57, 95%CI(-10.23, -4.91), Z = 5.58, P < 0.00001) and obtain a higher total effective rate of treatment(OR = 4.53, 95%CI(3.27, 6.29), Z = 9.07, P < 0.00001). In terms of safety, there was no statistical significance in the incidence of adverse events between two groups(OR = 0.35, 95%CI(0.04, 2.95), Z = 0.96, P = 0.34). Conclusion: The combination of external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine and routine treatment could achieve an excellent curative effect, and there was no specific adverse event. However because of the limited level of current evidence, more high-quality trials are needed in the future.5 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tens of millions of dried seahorses (genus Hippocampus) are traded annually, and the pressure from this trade along with their life history traits (involved parental care and small migration distances and home ranges) has led to near global population declines. This and other forms of overexploitation have led to all seahorse species being listed in Appendix II under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The signatory nations of CITES recommended a 10-cm size limit of seahorses to ensure harvested individuals have reached reproductive maturity, and have thus had the chance to produce offspring, to maintain a more sustainable global seahorse fishery. We assessed adherence to CITES recommendations using DNA barcoding and size measurements to compare two prominent U.S. dried seahorse markets: (1) traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and (2) non-medicinal ecommerce and coastal curio (ECC). We also estimated U.S. import abundance from CITES records. Of the nine species identified among all samples (n = 532), eight were found in the TCM trade (n = 168); composed mostly (75%) of the Indo-Pacific species Hippocampus trimaculatus, and Hippocampus spinosissimus, and the Latin American Hippocampus ingens. In contrast, ECC samples (n = 344) included 5 species, primarily juvenile Indo-Pacific Hippocampus kuda (51.5%) and the western Atlantic Hippocampus zosterae (40.7). The majority of TCM samples (85.7%) met the CITES size recommendation, in contrast to 4.8% of ECC samples. These results suggest non-size discriminatory bycatch is the most likely source of imported ECC specimens. In addition, CITES records indicate that approximately 602,275 dried specimens were imported into the U.S. from 2004–2020, but the exact species composition remains unknown as many U.S. imports records list one species or Hippocampus spp. from confiscated shipments due to difficulties in morphological identification and large numbers of individuals per shipment. Molecular identification was used to identify the species composition of confiscated shipment imports containing undesignated species, and similar to TCM, found H. trimaculatus and H. spinosissimus the most abundant. By combining DNA barcoding, size comparisons, and CITES database records, these results provide an important glimpse into the two primary dried U.S. seahorse end-markets, and may further inform the conservation status of several Hippocampus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chronic Fatigue (CF) still remains unclear about its etiology, pathophysiology, nomenclature and diagnostic criteria in the medical community. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) adopts a unique diagnostic method, namely ‘bian zheng lun zhi’ or syndrome differentiation, to diagnose the CF with a set of syndrome factors, which can be regarded as the Multi-Label Learning (MLL) problem in the machine learning literature. To obtain an effective and reliable diagnostic tool, we use Conformal Predictor (CP), Random Forest (RF) and Problem Transformation method (PT) for the syndrome differentiation of CF. Methods and Materials: In this work, using PT method, CP-RF is extended to handle MLL problem. CP-RF applies RF to measure the confidence level (p-value) of each label being the true label, and then selects multiple labels whose p-values are larger than the pre-defined significance level as the region prediction. In this paper, we compare the proposed CP-RF with typical CP-NBC(Naïve Bayes Classifier), CP-KNN(K-Nearest Neighbors) and ML-KNN on CF dataset, which consists of 736 cases. Specifically, 95 symptoms are used to identify CF, and four syndrome factors are employed in the syndrome differentiation, including ‘spleen deficiency’, ‘heart deficiency’, ‘liver stagnation’ and ‘qi deficiency’. The Results: CP-RF demonstrates an outstanding performance beyond CP-NBC, CP-KNN and ML-KNN under the general metrics of subset accuracy, hamming loss, one-error, coverage, ranking loss and average precision. Furthermore, the performance of CP-RF remains steady at the large scale of confidence levels from 80% to 100%, which indicates its robustness to the threshold determination. In addition, the confidence evaluation provided by CP is valid and well-calibrated. Conclusion: CP-RF not only offers outstanding performance but also provides valid confidence evaluation for the CF syndrome differentiation. It would be well applicable to TCM practitioners and facilitate the utilities of objective, effective and reliable computer-based diagnosis tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jieduquyuziyin prescription (JP), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has been widely used for the clinical treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the complex chemical constituents of JP and the multifactorial pathogenesis of SLE make research on the therapeutic mechanism of JP in SLE challenging. In this paper, a serum metabolomics approach based on rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-Q-TOF/MS) was employed to acquire the metabolic characteristics of serum samples obtained from mice in the SLE model group, JP-treated group, prednisone acetate (PA)-treated group and control group. The orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) was applied to recognize metabolic patterns, and an obvious separation of groups was obtained. Thirteen metabolites, namely, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE 20:3), hepoxilin B3, lyso- phosphatidylethanolamine (lyso-PE 22:6), 12S-hydroxypentaenoic acid (12S-HEPE), traumatic acid, serotonin, platelet-activating factor (PAF), phosphatidylcholine (PC 20:5),eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 12(S)-hydroxyei- cosatetraenoic acid (12S-HETE), 14-hydroxy docosahexaenoic acid (14-HDOHE), lyso-phosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC 20:4), and indole acetaldehyde, were identified and characterized as differential metabolites involved in the pathogenesis of SLE. After treatment with JP, the relative content of 12(S)-HETE, PAF, 12(S)-HEPE, EPA, PE (20:3), Lyso-PE(22:6), and 14-HDOHE were effectively regulated, which suggested that the therapeutic effects of JP on SLE may involve regulating disturbances to the metabolism of unsaturated fatty acid, tryptophan and phospholipid. This research also demonstrated that metabolomics is a powerful tool for researching complex disease mechanisms and evaluating the mechanism of action of TCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus, called Yizhi in Chinese, is the dried fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla Miquel. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat dementia and memory defects of Alzheimer's disease for many years. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we used a rat Alzheimer's disease model on intrahippocampal injection of aggregated Aβ1–42 to study the effects of Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus. A brain and plasma dual-channel metabolomics approach combined with multivariate statistical analysis was further performed to determine the effects of Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus on Alzheimer's disease animals. As a result, in the Morris water maze test, Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus had a clear ability to ameliorate the impaired learning and memory of Alzheimer's disease rats. 11 differential biomarkers were detected in AD rats' brains. The compounds mainly included amino acids and phospholipids; after Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus administration, 9 regulated biomarkers were detected compared with the AD model group. In the plasma of AD rats, 29 differential biomarkers, primarily amino acids, phospholipids and fatty acids, were identified; After administration, 23 regulated biomarkers were detected. The metabolic pathways of regulated metabolites suggest that Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus ameliorates memory and learning deficits in AD rats principally by regulating amino acid metabolism, lipids metabolism, and energy metabolism. In conclusion, our results confirm and enhance our current understanding of the therapeutic effects of Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus on Alzheimer's disease. Meanwhile, our work provides new insight into the potential intervention mechanism of Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus for Alzheimer's disease treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular mechanism of Chinese cordyceps formation has received a substantial amount of attention because of its usage as traditional Chinese medicine. The formation process of Chinese cordyceps includes two parts: asexual proliferation (Ophiocordyceps sinensis proliferates in the hemolymph of Thitarodes armoricanus larvae) and sexual development (formation and development of fruiting bodies). Therefore, validation of reference genes under different development stages and experimental conditions is crucial for RT-qPCR analysis. However, there is no report on stable reference genes at the development stage of O. sinensis fruiting body. In this study, 10 candidate reference genes, Actin, Cox5, Tef1, Ubi, 18s, Gpd, Rpb1, Try, Tub1 and Tub2, were selected and calculated their expression stability using four methods: geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and Comparative △Ct. After comprehensive analysis of the results of these four methods with RefFinder, we determined that the most stable reference genes during asexual reproduction of O. sinensis were Tef1 and Tub1, while the most stable reference genes during fruiting body development were Tyr and Cox5, and the most stable reference genes under light-induced conditions were Tyr and Tef1. Our study provides a guidance for reference genes selections at different proliferation processes with light stress of O. sinensis, and represents a foundation for studying the molecular mechanism of Chinese cordyceps formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Combination therapy of α-receptor blockers (α-RBs) and traditional Chinese medicine external therapy can serve as a treatment of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). α-RBs include s tamsulosin, terazosin and so on and the traditional Chinese medicine external therapy includes needling, moxibustion, acupoint catgut embedding, acupoint application, auricular point sticking and hot medicated compress and so forth. Currently, there is no study in which Bayesian network meta-analysis is applied to making a comparative analysis of efficacy of different combination therapies of α-RBs and traditional Chinese medicine external therapy in the treatment of CP/CPPS. Therefore, based on Bayesian algorithm, a network meta-analysis was conducted by us to make a comparison between different combination therapies of α-RBs and traditional Chinese medicine external therapy. Methods: A document retrieval was conducted in the databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data Dissertations of China database, VIP China Science and Technology Journal Database, SinoMed. Literatures were searched for published in biomedical journals concerning clinical study on α-RBs combined with various traditional Chinese medicine external therapies in the treatment of CP/CPPS from inception of database to July 2022. Newest version risks of bias assessment tool (RoB2) was used to assess the risks of bias of studies included in this analysis. Stata 16.0 software and R4.1.3 software were used to make a Bayesian network meta-analysis and charts. Results: 19 literatures were included involving 1739 patients concerning 12 interventions which were used in the treatment of CP/CPPS. With respect to the total effective rate, α-RBs+ needling was most likely to be the optimal treatment. Concerning National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) total score, α-RBs+ moxibustion+ auricular point sticking was most likely to be optimal treatment, the therapy ranking second was α-RBs+ needling, and the therapy ranking third was α-RBs+ moxibustion. Pain score, voiding score and quality-of-life score are subdomains of the NIH-CPSI total score. With regard to pain score, α-RBs+ moxibustion was most likely to be optimal treatment. In reference to voiding and quality-of-life score, there was no statistically significant difference between the efficacy of various interventions. Conclusions: α-RBs+ needling, α-RBs+ moxibustion and α-RBs+ moxibustion+ auricular point sticking provided relatively good efficacy in the treatment of CP/CPPS. In these treatments, attention should be paid on α-RBs+ needling and α-RBs+ moxibustion which ranked higher many times in the evaluation of various outcome indicators. However, there still were certain limitations in this study, so large-sample clinical randomized control trials with a rigor design following the evidence-based medicine standards need to be conducted to justify the results of this study. Systematic review registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier: [CRD42022341824]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased demand for the supply of donkey hides for use in the Traditional Chinese Medicine e'jiao, is leading to a re-appraisal of donkeys' contributions to livelihoods across the world. This research aimed to understand the utilitarian value donkeys provide to poor small holder farmers, especially women, in their efforts to make a living in two rural communities in northern Ghana. Uniquely, children and donkey butchers were interviewed for the first time about their donkeys. A qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken of data disaggregated by sex, age and donkey-ownership. The majority of protocols were repeated during a second visit, ensuring comparative data between one wet, and one dry season. Donkeys are more important in people's lives than had previously been recognised and are highly valued by their owners for their help in reducing drudgery and the multi-functional services they offer. Hiring out donkeys to generate income is a secondary role for people who own donkeys, especially women. However, for financial and cultural reasons the way donkeys are kept results in the loss of a certain percentage of the animals to the donkey meat market, as well as the global hides trade. Increasing demand for donkey meat, coupled with increasing demand for donkeys for farming, is leading to donkey price inflation and theft of donkeys. This is putting pressure on the donkey population of neighbouring Burkina Faso and pricing resource-poor non-donkey owners out of the market. E'jiao has put the spotlight on the value of dead donkeys for the first time, especially to governments and middlemen. This study shows that the value of live donkeys to poor farming households is substantial. It attempts to understand and document this value thoroughly, should the majority of donkeys in West Africa be rounded up and slaughtered for the value of their meat and skin instead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) causes high cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although chemotherapy and targeted agents treatment improve median survival and 5-year survival rates, there is only one-third of patients who adhere to treatment protocol until the pause of disease progression. Hezhong granule is a traditional Chinese herbal formula used for mCRC, which has shown good potential in alleviating the adverse effects of chemotherapy, enhancing the effectiveness of chemotherapy, and improving the quality of life. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to further validate the clinical efficacy and safety of the Chinese herbal medicine formula named Hezhong (HZ) in combination with standard chemotherapy and cetuximab (CET) or bevacizumab (BV) for treating mCRC. Methods: In this multi-center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 360 eligible mCRC patients who will be randomly assigned to Hezhong or placebo group with a 1: 1 ratio. Participants in the Hezhong group will receive standard chemotherapy and CET or BV plus Hezhong Granule until the pause of disease progression, death, the exhibition of intolerable toxicity, or up to 6 months, while the placebo group will treat with standard chemotherapy and CET or BV plus placebo. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints are overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), safety, quality of life years (QOL), and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Expected results: The expected results of this trial are to improve the PFS and QOL of patients with mCRC and provide evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of mCRC with traditional Chinese medicine in China. Trial registration: The trial has been registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR). The trial registration number was ChiCTR2100041643. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many species of the genus Caragana have been used as wind prevention and sand fixation plants. They are also important traditional Chinese medicine, and ethnic medicine resource plant. Thus, chloroplast genomes (cp-genome) of some of these important species must be studied. Methods: In this study, we analyzed the chloroplast genomes of C. jubata, C. erinacea, C. opulens, and C. bicolor, including their structure, repeat sequences, mutation sites, and phylogeny. Results: The size of the chloroplast genomes was between 127,862 and 132,780 bp, and such genomes contained 112 genes (30 tRNA, 4 rRNA, and 78 protein-coding genes), 43 of which were photosynthesis-related genes. The total guanine + cytosine (G+C) content of four Caragana species was between 34.49% and 35.15%. The four Caragana species all lacked inverted repeats and can be classified as inverted repeat-lacking clade (IRLC). Of the anticipated genes of the four chloroplast genomes, introns were discovered in 17 genes, most of which were inserted by one intron. A total of 50 interspersed repeated sequences (IRSs) were found among them, 58, 29, 61, and 74 simple sequences repeats were found in C. jubata, C. bicolor, C. opulens, and C. erinacea, respectively. Analyses of sequence divergence showed that some intergenic regions (between trnK-UUU and rbcl; trnF-GAA and ndhJ; trnL-CAA and trnT-UGU; rpoB and trnC-GCA; petA and psbL; psbE and pebL; and sequences of rpoC, ycf1, and ycf2) exhibited a high degree of variations. A phylogenetic tree of eight Caragana species and another 10 legume species was reconstructed using full sequences of the chloroplast genome. Conclusions: (1) Chloroplast genomes can be used for the identification and classification of Caragana species. (2) The four Caragana species have highly similar cpDNA G+C content. (3) IRS analysis of the chloroplast genomes showed that these four species, similar to the chloroplast genome of most legumes, lost IRLC regions. (4) Comparative cp-genomic analysis suggested that the cp genome structure of the Caragana genus was well conserved in highly variable regions, which can be used to exploit markers for the identification of Caragana species and further phylogenetic study. (5) Results of phylogenetic analyses were in accordance with the current taxonomic status of Caragana. The phylogenetic relationship of Caragana species was partially consistent with elevation and geographical distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Continuous comprehensive treatment is still needed after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) to promote the recovery of sinus mucosal morphology and function. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) nasal irrigation is a promising external treatment of TCM, but at present, the application of TCM nasal irrigation after ESS for CRS has not been recommended by the guidelines. Therefore, this article aims to develop a systematic overview and meta-analysis protocol to assess the effectiveness and safety of Chinese herbal nasal rinse for CRS recovery after ESS. Methods: Seven databases shall be retrieved from their inception until December 2021. Eligible randomized controlled trials will be covered in the study. The outcome indicators of the survey will consist of efficacy, visual analogue scale score, Lund-Kennedy score for nasal endoscopy, Lund-Mackay score for sinus computed tomography and other secondary outcome indicators. The selection of literature, extraction of data, and methodological quality evaluation of literature shall be conducted by two researchers separately. If there is any dispute, it can be discussed and solved by a third researcher. Review Manager 5.3 software will be applied to data analysis. Results: The article will make a detailed research programme to explore the efficacy and safety of TCM nasal irrigation on CRS recovery after ESS. Conclusion: This protocol is suitable for evaluating the effectiveness and safety of TCM nasal rinse for CRS recovery after ESS, and can provide corresponding evidence-based medical evidence. Systematic review registration: Open Science Framework Registration DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/ZV73Q. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No effective drug and definitive “gold standard” treatment for Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection has been available so far, though some medicines have been commonly used in the treatment of T. gondii infection, such as spiramycin, azithromycin, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), pyrimethamine- sulfadiazine (P-S), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), and pyrimethamine-clindamycin (P-C). A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to compare the efficacies of these conventional medicines in the treatment. Cohort studies for the treatment of acute T. gondii infection were searched from PubMed, Google Scholar, ect. All the cases number for different group extracted from each included literature were input to meta-analysis 3.13 software to calculate the pooled negative conversion rate (NCR), cure rate (CR) or vertical transmission rate based on their sample size and weight. The pooled NCR with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was used to evaluate the overall rate of a diagnosis positive result conversion to a negative result after treatment, which of spiramycin, azithromycin and TCM were 83.4% (95%CI, 72.1%-90.8%), 82.5% (95%CI, 75.9%-87.6%), and 85.5% (95%CI, 71.3%-93.3%) respectively, with no statistical difference between them. The pooled CR with 95% CI was used to evaluate the overall rate of complete disappearance of clinical symptoms for toxoplasmic encephalitis after therapy, which of P-S, TMP-SMX, and P-C were 49.8% (95%CI, 38. 8% -60.8%), 59.9% (95%CI, 48.9%-70.0%), and 47.6% (95%CI, 24.8%-71.4%) respectively, with no statistical difference between them. Primary T. gondii infection in pregnancy was treated mainly with spiramycin alone or combined with other drugs, and the pooled rate of vertical transmission was about 9.9% (95%CI, 5.9%-16.2%) after therapy. Toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS patients was usually treated with sulfonamides combined with other drugs and the pooled CR was 49.4% (95%CI, 37.9%-60.9%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic short stature (ISS) describes a heterogeneous group of children of many unidentified causes of short stature presently without definitive therapy. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is an alternative and complementary treatment for children with ISS and has been widely used for ISS while the evidence of its effectiveness is controversial. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis in order to evaluate the efficacy of CHM for ISS. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of science, Sino-Med, Cochrane, CNKI, VIP, and Wangfang Data were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CHM treatment of ISS from inception to May 2021. Two researchers independently scanned the literature and extracted information on general characteristics, including patient, study design, interventions, and side effects, assessing the CHM intervention's efficacy and the risk of bias. Height, bone age, growth velocity, and IGF-1 level are the main consequences. Height standard deviations score (HtSDS), change in HtSDS (ΔHtSDS), osteocalcin, the peak level of growth hormones (GHP), and predicted adult height (PAH) are the secondary outcomes. Meta-analysis was then performed by using RevMan 5.3 (Cochrane Collaboration). Results: Seven articles (569 participants) were included. The Meta-analysis indicated that herbal medicine was associated with increased height (MD 2.16 points; 95%CI, 0.22 to 4.10; P = 0.03), growth velocity (MD 1.47 points; 95%CI, 0.28 to 2.67; P = 0.02), IGF-1 level (MD 28.13 points; 95%CI, 22.80 to 33.46; P<0.00001) and GHP (MD 3.29 points; 95%CI, 1.54 to 5.04; P = 0.0002). Conclusion: According to current research, CHM appears to be useful for children with ISS. Due to the limited quality and number of studies included, more high-quality studies are needed to corroborate the above conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, HQ is widely mentioned in the treatment of cancerous diseases in China, which has been proven to have a therapeutic effect on cancerous diseases, such as prostate cancer. To predict the specific mechanism of HQ in the treatment of CRPC, we will conduct preliminary verification and discussion based on a comprehensive consideration of network pharmacology and molecular docking. Methods: TCMSP was used to obtain the compounds and reach the effective targets of HQ. The targets of CRPC were reached based on GeneCards database and CTD database. GO and KEGG were utilized for the analysis of overlapping targets. The software of Openbabel was used to convert the formats of ligands and reporters. In addition, molecular docking studies were performed by using the software of Autodock Vina. Result: It can be seen from the database results that there were 87 active compounds (20 key active compounds) in HQ, and 33 targets were screened out for CRPC treatment. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses identified 81 significant GO terms and 24 significant KEGG pathways. There is a difference in terms of the expression of core protein between cancer patients and healthy people. The expression of core protein in patients also has an impact on the life cycle. The results of molecular docking showed that the docking activity of drug molecules and core proteins was better. Conclusions: It is concluded from the results of this network pharmacology and molecular docking that HQ makes a multi-target and multi-biological process, and results in the multi-channel synergistic effect on the treatment of CRPC by regulating cell apoptosis, proliferation and metastasis, which still needs further verification by experimental research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural traditional Chinese medicine hospitals bear responsibilities of providing efficient medical services for rural residents. Efficiency assessments have previously been conducted in single province. This study aimed to investigate the technical efficiency of rural traditional Chinese medicine hospitals across China from 2013 to 2018, with the application of super slack-based measure data envelopment analysis. In total, 1219 hospitals covering 28 provinces were included as sample hospitals. Overall, hospitals performed technically less efficiently but presented with an increasing trend. Redundancy and insufficiency existed in health input and output variables, respectively. Notably, optimizing input variables was found to make more substantial improvement in hospital efficiency. Provincial and regional disparities were also observed in hospital efficiency. In conclusion, rural traditional Chinese medicine hospitals have experienced slight improvement in efficiency during the study period, however, their efficiency was still in a relatively low level with ample room for improvement. Meanwhile, regional coordinated development should also be noticed in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Icariin, a major constituent of flavonoids from the Chinese medicinal herb Epimedium brevicornum, exhibits multiple biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, neuroregulatory and neuroprotective activities. Therefore, Icariin might be applied in treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is neuropathologically characterized by β-amyloid aggregation, hyperphosphorylated tau and neuroinflammation. Potential therapeutic effects of Icariin were investigated in an animal model of cerebral amyloidosis for AD, transgenic APP/PS1 mouse. Icariin was suspended in carboxymethylcellulose and given orally to APP/PS1 mice. Therapeutic effects were monitored by behavioral tests, namely nesting assay, before and during the experimental treatment. Following an oral treatment of 10 days, Icariin significantly attenuated Aβ deposition, microglial activation and TGF-β1 immunoreactivity at amyloid plaques in cortex and hippocampus of transgenic mice 5 months of age, and restored impaired nesting ability. Our results suggest that Icariin might be considered a promising therapeutic option for human AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oligoasthenozoospermia is a complex disease caused by a variety of factors, and its incidence is increasing yearly worldwide. Yishen Tongluo formula (YSTLF), created by Professor Sun Zixue, has been used to treat oligoasthenozoospermia in clinical practice for several decades with a good therapeutic effect. However, the chemical and pharmacological profiles of YSTLF remain unclear and need to be elucidated. In this study, a network pharmacology approach was applied to explore the potential mechanisms of YSTLF in oligoasthenozoospermia treatment. All of the compounds in YSTLF were retrieved from the corresponding databases, and the bioactive ingredients were screened according to their oral bioavailability (OB) and drug-likeness (DL). The potential proteins of YSTLF were obtained from the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) database and the Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM) database, while the potential genes of oligoasthenozoospermia were obtained from the GeneCards database and the DisGeNET database. The STRING database was used to construct an interaction network according to the common targets identified by the online tool Venny for YSTLF and oligoasthenozoospermia. The topological characteristics of nodes were visualized and analyzed through Cytoscape. Biological functions and significant pathways were determined and analyzed using the Gene Ontology (GO) knowledgebase, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Metascape. Finally, the disease-formula-compound-target-pathway network was constructed by Cytoscape. A total of 106 bioactive ingredients and 134 potential targets from YSTLF were associated with oligoasthenozoospermia or considered to be therapeutically relevant. Pathway analysis indicated that the PI3K/Akt, MAPK and apoptosis signaling pathways were significant pathways involved in oligoasthenozoospermia. In conclusion, the current study expounded the pharmacological actions and molecular mechanisms of YSTLF in treating oligoasthenozoospermia from a holistic viewpoint. The potential molecular mechanisms were closely related to antioxidative stress, antiapoptosis and anti-inflammation, with TNF, CCND1, ESR1, NFKBIA, NR3C1, MAPK8, and IL6 being possible targets. This network pharmacology prediction may offer a helpful tool to illustrate the molecular mechanisms of the Chinese herbal compound YSTLF in oligoasthenozoospermia treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scratch assay is an in vitro technique used to analyze cell migration, proliferation, and cell-to-cell interaction. In the assay, cells are grown to confluence and then 'scratched' with a sterile instrument. For the cells in the leading edge, the resulting polarity induces migration and proliferation in attempt to 'heal' the modeled wound. Keloid scars are known to have an accelerated wound closure phenotype in the scratch assay, representing an overactivation of wound healing. We performed a qualitative review of the recent literature searching for inhibitors of scratch assay activity that were already available in topical formulations under the hypothesis that such compounds may offer therapeutic potential in keloid treatment. Although several shortcomings in the scratch assay literature were identified, caffeine and allicin successfully inhibited the scratch assay closure and inflammatory abnormalities in the commercially available keloid fibroblast cell line. Caffeine and allicin also impacted ATP production in keloid cells, most notably with inhibition of non-mitochondrial oxygen consumption. The traditional Chinese medicine, shikonin, was also successful in inhibiting scratch closure but displayed less dramatic impacts on metabolism. Together, our results partially summarize the strengths and limitations of current scratch assay literature and suggest clinical assessment of the therapeutic potential for these identified compounds against keloid scars may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chinese herbal footbaths are an external therapy of traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used to treat dysmenorrhea. This review aims to systematically evaluate its efficacy and safety for the treatment of dysmenorrhea. Methods: Databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CIHAHL, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, China Biomedical Literature Database(CBM), and Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed) will be searched from the inception to September 30, 2020. The eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be identified and included. The primary outcomes include pain intensity measured by validated scales of visual analog scale, numeric rating scale, and response rate of symptom reduction. The secondary outcomes are scores on validated pain questionnaires, quality of life measured by SF-36 or other validated scales, and adverse events. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of bias risk will be conducted by two reviewers independently. RevMan software (V.5.3.5) will be utilized to perform data synthesis. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis will be performed when necessary. The strength of the evidence will be evaluated with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation System. Results: A high-quality synthesis of current evidence of Chinese herbal footbaths for patients with dysmenorrhea will be provided in this study. Conclusion: This systematic review will provide evidence of whether Chinese herbal footbaths are an effective and safe intervention for the treatment of dysmenorrhea. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020188256. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interventions to shift the behaviour of consumers using unsustainable wildlife products are key to threatened species conservation. Whether these interventions are effective is largely unknown due to a dearth of detailed evaluations. We previously conducted a country-level online behaviour change intervention targeting consumers of the Critically Endangered saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) horn in Singapore. To evaluate intervention impact, we carried out in-person consumer surveys with >2,000 individuals pre- and post-intervention (2017 and 2019), and 93 in-person post-intervention surveys with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shopkeepers (2019). The proportion of self-reported high-usage saiga horn consumers in the target audience (Chinese Singaporean women aged 35–59) did not change significantly from pre- to post-intervention (24.4% versus 22.6%). However, post-intervention the target audience was significantly more likely than the non-target audience to accurately recall the intervention message and to report a decrease in saiga horn usage (4% versus 1% reported a behaviour change). Within the target audience, high-usage consumers were significantly more likely than lower-usage consumers to recall the message and report a behaviour change. Across respondents who reported a decrease in saiga horn usage, they cited the intervention message as a specific reason for their behaviour change significantly more than other reasons. Additionally, across all respondents, the belief that saiga is a common species in the wild decreased significantly from pre- to post-intervention. TCM shopkeepers, however, cited factors such as price and availability as the strongest influences on saiga horn sales. In sum, the intervention did significantly influence some consumers but the reduction of high-usage consumer frequency was not significant at the population level. We explore reasons for these findings, including competing consumer influences, characteristics of the intervention, and evaluation timing. This work suggests our intervention approach has potential, and exemplifies a multi-pronged in-person evaluation of an online wildlife trade consumer intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with a usage history of over 2,000 years in China, Spica Schizonepetae possesses definite clinical activity in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its active ingredients and mechanism of action remain unclear at present. The further exploration of its active components and underlying mechanism will provide a basis for the development of candidate anti-tumor drugs. Our previous study explored the chemical constituents of Spica Schizonepetae extract (SSE). On this basis, molecular networking technology was applied in analyzing the QTOF-MS/MS data of rat plasma after intragastric administration of SSE using the GNPS database platform. A total of 26 components were found, including 9 proterotype components and 17 metabolites, which revealed the potential active ingredients of SSE. Later, the Lewis lung cancer mouse model was established, and the inhibition rate and histopathological sections were used as the indicators to investigate the anti-tumor effect of SSE, whereas the body weight, survival rate, thymus index and spleen index served as the indicators to explore the pharmacological effects of SSE on improving mouse immunity. The results showed that SSE had comparable anti-tumor efficacy to cisplatin, which enhanced the immunity, improved the quality of life, and extended the survival time of lung cancer mice. Furthermore, human A549 lung tumor cells were selected to explore the mechanism of SSE in treating NSCLC based on cell metabonomics. After data mining by the MPP software, 23 differential endogenous metabolites were identified between SSE and tumor groups. Moreover, results of pathway enrichment analysis using the MetaboAnalyst 4.0 software indicated that these metabolites were mainly enriched in four metabolic pathways (p < 0.1). By adopting the network pharmacology method, the metabolic pathways discovered by cell metabolomics were verified against the ChEMBL, STITCH, UniProt and TCGA databases, and differences in the underlying mechanism between cells and humans were found. It was proved that SSE affected the metabolism of purine, arachidonic acid and histidine to exert the anti-tumor efficacy. Furthermore, the multi-target, multi-pathway, and immunoenhancement mechanism of SSE in anti-tumor treatment was revealed, which provided a scientific basis for new drug development and the rational application of Spica Schizonepetae in clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of medical professionals toward Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). All 401 medical professionals were surveyed using an anonymous with an investigator using the Questionnaire star APP. The participants answered 14 questions; of the 401 participants, 55.2% agreed with the statement "TCM can be used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19," 40.4% remained neutral, and 4.4% disagreed. Moreover, 75.3% agreed with the statement "There is no specific drug for COVID-19," 67% agreed with the statement "TCM can develop immunity to COVID-19" and 62.1% agreed with "TCM can alleviate the symptoms of patients with COVID-19." Meanwhile, 69.1% were aware that TCM has been recommended for COVID-19 by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. Regarding the selection of sources of knowledge on whether "TCM can be used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19," There were 277, 123, 82, 369, and 17 participants selected sources from "Hospital training," "Academic journals," "Academic Conferences," "Social media platforms (such as WeChat)" and "Others," respectively. Further, 358 participants will take TCM for the prevention of COVID-19. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, major and received TCM treatment within the last five years were independent factors affecting the participants' attitudes. In the absence of specific drugs for COVID-19, more than half of the participants agreed that TCM could be used for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and most participants are willing to take TCM to prevent COVID-19, although unsure about its effectiveness. The main information sources on TCM for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 were social platforms and hospital training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hemp (Cannabis sativa subsp. sativa), commonly used for industrial purposes, is now being consumed by the public for various health promoting effects. As popularity of hemp research and claims of beneficial effects rises, a systematic collection of current scientific evidence on hemp's health effects and pharmacological properties is needed to guide future research, clinical, and policy decision making. Objective: To provide an overview and identify the present landscape of hemp research topics, trends, and gaps. Methods: A systematic search and analysis strategy according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis-ScR (PRISMA-ScR) checklist on electronic databases including MEDLINE, OVID (OVFT, APC Journal Club, EBM Reviews), Cochrane Library Central and Clinicaltrials.gov was conducted to include and analyse hemp research articles from 2009 to 2019. Results: 65 primary articles (18 clinical, 47 pre-clinical) were reviewed. Several randomised controlled trials showed hempseed pills (in Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation MaZiRenWan) improving spontaneous bowel movement in functional constipation. There was also evidence suggesting benefits in cannabis dependence, epilepsy, and anxiety disorders. Pre-clinically, hemp derivatives showed potential anti-oxidative, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-neuroinflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-acne, and anti-microbial activities. Renal protective effects and estrogenic properties were also exhibited in vitro. Conclusion: Current evidence on hemp-specific interventions are still preliminary, with limited high quality clinical evidence for any specific therapeutic indication. This is mainly due to the wide variation in test item formulation, as the multiple variants of this plant differ in their phytochemical and bioactive compounds. Future empirical research should focus on standardising the hemp plant for pharmaceutical use, and uniformity in experimental designs to strengthen the premise of using hemp in medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To measure the situation of the non-prescription sale of antibiotics and the service quality of community pharmacies in Guangzhou, China. Methods: A simulated client method was conducted to estimate the non-prescription sale of antibiotics and service quality based on scenarios about adult acute upper respiratory tract infection in 2019. A total of 595 community pharmacies from 11 districts were investigated in Guangzhou, China. We used binary logistic regression to evaluate the factors associated with the non-prescription sale of antibiotics. Results: The proportion of non-prescription dispensing of antibiotics was 63.1% in Guangzhou, China, with a higher incidence of antibiotic dispensing without prescription in outer districts (69.3%). Cephalosporin (44.1%) and Amoxicillin (39.0%) were sold more often than other antibiotics. Chain pharmacies had better performance on the prescription sale of antibiotics and service quality. Traditional Chinese medicine was commonly recommended by pharmacy staff. Conclusion: Since the non-prescription sale of antibiotics is prevalent in Guangzhou, effective solutions should be determined. Strengthened public awareness and regulatory system innovation are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As the global epidemic continues to spread, countries have tapped effective drugs to treat new coronavirus pneumonia. The therapeutic effect of the traditional Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen in this new coronary pneumonia epidemic has attracted attention from all walks of life, and relevant research reports continue to appear. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the clinical efficacy and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen in the treatment of new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) (referred to as "new coronary pneumonia"), and evaluated the overall level of research quality. Methods: We searched seven databases and retrieved the Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CNKI), Vip Database (VIP), China Biomedicine (SinoMed), Wanfang Database and PubMed, Cochrane Central, EMBASE from October 2019 to May 2020 Literature references. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that tested the efficacy of the traditional Chinese medicine lotus clearing plague in the treatment of new coronavirus pneumonia. The authors extracted data and independently assessed quality. We used Stata15.1 software to analyze the data of randomized trials. Results: A total of 2 articles were identified, including 154 patients. All the participating patients were diagnosed with new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19). The meta-analysis results showed that the disappearance rate of the main clinical symptoms of Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen in the treatment of new coronavirus pneumonia was significantly higher than that of the control group [OR = 3.34, 95% CI (2.06, 5.44), P <0.001]; the disappearance rate of other clinical secondary symptoms is significantly higher than the control group [OR = 6.54, 95% CI (3.59, 11.90), P <0.001]. The duration of fever was significantly lower than that of the control group [OR = -1.04, 95% CI (-1.60, -0.49), P <0.001]. It is confirmed that the traditional Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen treatment improves the clinical effectiveness, and also has certain advantages in relieving cough and fever. Conclusion: The treatment of new pneumonia with traditional Chinese medicine lotus clearing plague can be used as an effective therapy to improve the clinical symptoms of new coronary pneumonia. More rigorous design, multi-center, and prospective RCTs are necessary to further determine the effectiveness and safety of the traditional Chinese medicine lotus decoction in the treatment of new pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zanthoxyli Pericarpium (ZP) are the dried ripe peel of Zanthoxylum schinifolium Sieb. et Zucc (ZC) or Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (ZB). It has wide range of uses both medicine and food, and favorable market value. The diverse specifications of components of ZP is exceptional, and the common aims of adulteration for economic profit is conducted. In this work, a novel method for the identification different species of ZP is proposed using convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The data used for the experiment is 5 classes obtained from camera and mobile phones. Firstly, the data considering 2 categories are trained to detect the labels by YOLO. Then, the multiple deep learning including VGG, ResNet, Inception v4, and DenseNet are introduced to identify the different species of ZP (HZB, DZB, OZB, ZA and JZC). In order to assess the performance of CNNs, compared with two traditional identification models including Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Back Propagation (BP). The experimental results demonstrate that the CNN model have a better performance to identify different species of ZP and the highest identification accuracy is 99.35%. The present study is proved to be a useful strategy for the discrimination of different traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kampo, a system of traditional Japanese therapy utilizing mixtures of herbal medicine, is widely accepted in the Japanese medical system. Kampo originated from traditional Chinese medicine, and was gradually adopted into a Japanese style. Although its effects on a variety of diseases are appreciated, the underlying mechanisms remain mostly unclear. Using a quantitative tf-LC3 system, we conducted a high-throughput screen of 128 kinds of Kampo to evaluate the effects on autophagy. The results revealed a suppressive effect of Shigyakusan/TJ-35 on autophagic activity. TJ-35 specifically suppressed dephosphorylation of ULK1 and TFEB, among several TORC1 substrates, in response to nutrient deprivation. TFEB was dephosphorylated by calcineurin in a Ca2+ dependent manner. Cytosolic Ca2+ concentration was increased in response to nutrient starvation, and TJ-35 suppressed this increase. Thus, TJ-35 prevents the starvation-induced Ca2+ increase, thereby suppressing induction of autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to analyze regional disparities of health care resources in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) county hospitals and their time trends, and to assess the changes of regional disparities before and after 2009 health care reforms. Methods: We used hospital-based, longitudinal data from all TCM county hospitals in China between 2004 and 2016. To measure the key development features of TCM county hospitals, data were collected on government hospital investment, hospital numbers (the average number of TCM hospitals per county), hospital scale (the number of medical staff and hospital beds) and doctors' workload (the daily visits and inpatient stays per doctor). We used segmented linear regression to test the time trend for outcome variables. We set a breakpoint at 2011, dividing the pre-reform (2004–2011) and post-reform (2012–2016) periods. Results: After the 2009 health reforms, TCM hospitals continued to display large disparities in the number, scale, and doctors' workload across the three regions. In the pre-reform period, yearly government subsidies for TCM hospitals in western area were roughly RMB0.6 million (US$89 thousand) more than those in central and eastern region, which increased under the 2009 reforms to roughly RMB2 million (US$298 thousand) more per yer in post-reform period. These increased subsidies saw an increase in the number of TCM hospitals in the western area, partly addressing regional disparities. But there was no improvement in the regional disparities in terms of scale (number of beds) and the doctors' workload (daily outpatient visits and inpatients per doctor) increased or remained unchanged between the western and other regions. Conclusion: Although TCM hospital number, scale, and doctors' workload increased over the past 13 years, substantial regional disparities remained. The 2009 health reforms did not significantly change the regional disparities in health care resources, especially between the eastern and western regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]